Basilisk's Venom
by pinkpygmypuff
Summary: Hermione may have destroyed the horocrux but Ron created something else. Set during the time when they are in the chamber of secrets during DH. Spoiler warning.


Untitled

By Pinkpygmypuff

Summary: Hermione and Ron may have destroyed the horocrux but are you sure they haven't mended something else?

Rated T for heavy kissing.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Just fooling around with them

It was darker then the time Ron had previously remembered. Then again, he was certain that this chamber hadn't been used in the past five years at least. He heard Hermione take a sharp intake of breath as they walked into the grand chamber. Just like Ron remembered it. Almost instinctively, he grabbed her hand to comfort her.

The skin of the dead snake was massive. Ron closed his eyes before reassuring himself that the snake was dead and had no way of killing of petrifying him. At the great head of the snake, Hermione dropped Hufflepuff's cup to the floor and tried to pry the jaws open. But the snakes head being roughly one and a half the size of her she failed miserably. She finally grabbed her wand and muttered a spell under her breath. She opened the head with ease this time and tried to yank a fang from the mouth. Ron watched for a while.

"Here, let me help you" he finally said.

She looks at him and removed her hands from the tooth. He grabbed it and pulled as hard as he could. He let out a grunt and the tooth wiggled but did not budge further. Hermione wrapped her hands around his and Ron briefly stopped tugging at the feel of her palms wrapping around the back of his calloused hands. Together they started tugging and the tooth became looser and looser in the serpent's mouth. Finally, with one last tug the tooth came out throwing them backwards. Ron landed with a thud on top of Hermione. He immediately got off.

"Hermione, I am so sorry. Did I hurt you?" he repeated over again.

Hermione's eyes finally fluttered open.

"No, no you didn't, Ron," she said. She immediately realized how close they were. She had wanted this for so long, that it was hard to remember a memory with Ron when she hadn't wanted this.

Ron was obviously aware of this too, except he looked rather embarrassed and moved away. She thought he was leaving but he only picked up the poisonous fang that had dropped a few feet away. Hermione breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Ron was seriously worried. He knew that the horocrux wouldn't be destroyed without the two of them working together. Without the other person there to encourage them and force them to continue they wouldn't be able to finish it off. He knew he wouldn't be able too. Hermione might, she was so brave, but Ron didn't really want Hermione to face those strange visions. He would have to bear it, again, for her.

Ron grasped the fang and asked her to hold the cup steady.

"This was how Harry had done it," he explained. Ron was extremely scared. He didn't want to have Hermione seeing all the evil inside the cup.

"Here, Ron. I'll do it" She said calmly. Ron's eyes, which had been tightly shut in anticipation for the stab, opened almost in relief, then fear again.

"Are you sure, Mione?" Ron said. Elated that he wouldn't have to face it again but still scared out of his wits for her. " It might be better if I do it"

"No" Hermione said firmly, even though she was shaking "You already had your chance. Let me have mine"

Ron held the cup still. On his count of three, she stabbed. One fluid motion but it barely made a dent in the cup; instead, the cup began to open, just as the pendant had. Instantly Ron knew what was about to come, but from the look on Hermione's face he knew she had no idea.

The cup held a small glistening object. Ron knew that it was probably yet one of the other organs of Tom Riddle but did not stop to ponder it. He watched as two people slowly started to come out of the chalice, almost like vapor but with a consistency, he couldn't recognize. He did, however, begin to recognize the figures.

Hermione parents now towered above them. Hermione let out a small scream. Hermione's dad began screaming about how A's were the best and B's were a fail.

Ron wasn't sure what significance A's and B's had but it sure didn't look too good. Probably like the OWL's grading system. Suddenly the figure changed. The gust of wind took its form and molded it so it looked rather like….Harry. Harry immediately began yelling at her for why she was not good enough. Ron had never imagined such cruel things to come out of anyone's mouth. Particularly Harry's.

Hermione let out another scream.

"No, no anything but this anything but this!" Hermione's voice was hurting Ron. Not just his ears but also his heart. He couldn't bear to see her like this.

"Hermione. Just stab! Stab it!" Hermione sobbed as the Riddle-Ron began talking.

"You're just not as pretty as Lavender, Hermione. Or as funny. You just aren't good enough. And Lavender, well it's pretty obvious why Lavender is a better choice"

Ron stared in horror as the Hermione sobbed even harder. This was her biggest fear? Ron grabbed Hermione's hand, the one with the fang and pointed it to the cup.

"Stab". Hermione did. The cup gave a horrible squealing noise then finally gurgled before finally, becoming silent.

Hermione dropped to her knees, stunned. Then got up and walked as fast as she could towards the exit.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron yelled behind her. "I've got to tell you something". She stopped and turned around. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. He realized that she was not only sad but also extremely embarrassed.

"I lied to you" Ron said quickly "When I stabbed the cup the images came out too. I just didn't want to tell you"

"Why not?" Hermione asked, curiously

"Because you and Harry came out of them." Ron swallowed hard. "And you two started talking" Ron took her hands and intertwined them with his own. "And then you kissed him"

"I kissed Harry?" Hermione asked

"Yes. And it was awful" Ron said. She just had to understand!

He carefully placed one hand on the back of her neck. Swallowing hard, he said

"Hermione, I will never find someone more intelligent, more beautiful, or braver then you."

She leaned in slightly and Ron carefully pulled her close and pressed his lips down to hers. They molded together and Hermione's hand flattened out against his chest. The beast in Ron's chest seemed to like that and he put his hand on her waist, moving it in small circles. Hermione groaned aloud.

All too soon, it was over. And both of them realized exactly what they were missing overhead. Ron took Hermione's hand and without a word led the way up.

Hermione smiled. She didn't need the smartest, the kindest, the oldest, or the funniest Weasley boy. She had Ron. The bravest.


End file.
